President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom inaugurated the Annual Meeting of the Heads of Missions of Maldives today at the Hotel Jen.

Speaking at the function, the President advised the Head of Missions to assert the Maldives’ position within the international community and the importance of the principle of sovereign equality and non-intervention. In this regard, the President highlighted that the Maldives is keen on building close relations with states on the basis of mutual respect.

The President also highlighted the necessity to voice the needs of small island states and their vulnerability to the effects of global warming and climate change. Consequently, the President raised concerns on the minimized concessions granted by the International Community as a result of Maldives graduating from the LDCs. Considering the vulnerable position of the Maldives, the President advocated for retaining these concessions, which are imperative to the efforts of climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Although the meeting is on projecting the image of Maldives as a travel destination, the President reiterated his commitment to transform the Maldivian economy to one that is robust and resilient. In this regard, the President highlighted the “open foreign investment” policy pursued by the Government and the finalization of the free trade agreement between Maldives and China.

In closing, the President advised the Head of Missions to meet with their counterparts in the countries of representation and engage in discussions of mutual benefit in order to create an environment conducive to greater cooperation.